Joseph King Vivion was born on February 16, 1896, in Southwest City, Missouri, to Orion Emory Vivion, a minister, and Nancy Belle Moore. He received a Bachelor of Divinity and a Master of Arts in 1919 from Southern Methodist University. That same year, he was sent to organize a church at Texas A&M University. During his time in Bryan/College Station, he met and married Harriet Marcia Elizabeth Winton on December 2, 1920. They had four daughters.

At the age of thirty-two, King Vivion was unanimously elected president of Southwestern University, despite not having prior involvement with the institution. He declined an offer from McKendree Church in Nashville, choosing Southwestern University instead.

Vivion’s presidency, which began in 1928, spanned the difficult years of the Great Depression, during which he faced several attempts to relocate Southwestern University from Georgetown. He appointed Isaac Joel McCook as the business manager, who, along with other administrators, played a vital role in navigating the university through near bankruptcy during the 1930s.

After seven years as president, Vivion resigned in July 1935 to return to pastoral work. He became the pastor at McKendree Church in Nashville, serving there for 17 years, and later preached at several prominent churches in Kentucky and Georgia.

Joseph King Vivion passed away on January 27, 1969, in Springfield, Greene, Missouri, at the age of 72. He was buried in Hazelwood Cemetery in Springfield.

Sources:

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/9FTB-GW9/joseph-king-vivion-1896-1969

https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/joseph-king-vivion-24-4qwd1h